Sunday, October 13, 2013

Essie Sable Collar

Hello and Happy Sunday!!  With the new Picture Polish and Rescue Beauty Lounge blogger collections imminent, I started to think about what kind of polish I'd create if given the opportunity.  I'm fairly easy to please and fairly uncomplicated in my taste, polish wise, so in my little experiment I tried to think outside the box of my favorite red cremes, vampy wine colored jellies, and slick blacks.  It's hard to come up with a unique idea in this supersaturated industry, but I had this notion that my dream polish would be a dark grey with a red shimmer woven throughout.  Red would have to play a role, somehow.  So I'm trying to picture how this whole thing would work, so the shimmer is apparent but subtle, how it wouldn't be drowned out on the nail by such a dark base, when I come across Essie's just released winter 2013 collection.  I took one look at Sable Collar and thought, Holy Smokes, that's IT!!

As it turns out, it's not; the store lights were a bit deceiving (but not necessarily disappointing).  It's not what I was imagining, but it would make a nice prototype, lol.  Sable Collar is a dark grey with warm brownish red undertones, saturated with a reddish-mauve shimmer.  All this reads as a dark, dusty plum both in photos and on the nail and looks warm, luxurious, and plush but also carries a bit of a chill, as if you are wearing such a collar during a clear, icy night.  The name is perfect and this polish feels inspired to me. 

Essie Sable Collar winter 2013 swatch and review

Essie Sable Collar winter 2013 swatch and review

The color is fascinatingly unique and I love it.  Essie's been stepping up their game this year and while their collections are still playing it rather safe, they're also throwing in some interesting and intriguing polishes and this one is their best this year, in my opinion.
Essie's formula is widely known to be a little tricky and while that's also improved, you can see I still had a few application issues with Sable Collar.  This is opaque in the standard two coats.  It's on the thin and runny side (GAHHH I so dislike that word but there it is, it's the best way to describe this); a thin first coat and a slightly thicker second coat, plus a steady hand, will minimize issues.

Essie Sable Collar winter 2013 swatch and review

Essie Sable Collar winter 2013 swatch and review

I like Sable Collar a LOT, maybe even more so since it's not what I had first envisioned (it's fun being surprised and I think my mind played a trick on me, lol) and I'm surprised at how drawn to dusky plums I've been this fall.  The only place I've seen this new Essie collection is at Fred Meyer for $8 a piece but the release date is early October, so if you haven't seen this yet, keep your eyes peeled :)

One more thing... I mentioned in my previous post how I has hot on the trail of a pair of faux suede booties to wear for C's and my late Oktoberfest party this past Friday (which was a blast, so much so that I somehow managed to not take any pictures which might be a first for me)... well, mission accomplished but I ended up wearing something else, lol.  Here they are... Aren't they smokin'?  I love being way up there but it's been a while since I've sported something this high.


Did I mention they were on clearance?  This fact made C happy, even (or perhaps less unhappy would be more accurate, lol).  Thank you all for reading and have a relaxing day ♥♥

27 comments:

  1. Oooh yes that is inspired! It's really unique... I can't think of another polish quite like it. It looks amazing on you! :) Those boots are totally awesome, I have to say. They are so va-va-voom! :D

    ~ Yun

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    1. I can't, either (though I haven't been paying attention for as long as some of you all :) )! Thank you, and yes, I'm looking real forward to having another place to wear them, lol ;)

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  2. Beautiful color! Looks great on you and perfect for this season!

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    1. Thank you Natalie ♥ It is totally perfect for the season.

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  3. This is stunning! It kind of reminds me of a darker, edgier version of OPI's I Knead Sour-Dough!

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    1. Oh, interesting! They do share the same kind of frosty, shimmery finish.

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  4. Ohh this is surprisingly nice! I don't feel like I've seen many dupes or similar polishes around :)

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    1. I don't recall it, either! Kudos to Essie for coming up with something beautiful and unique, I say.

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  5. Lovin' the polish colour, but the boots are hotter!!

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  6. Those boots are hot hot hot!! I like this polish. I probably would have never looked twice at it without your swatches though! So nuanced!

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    1. Awesome!! It's even more so in real life (though it's very true to the bottle, either way, if that makes sense).

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  7. beautiful shade :) and those boots are smokin' hot!

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  8. your description " The color is fascinatingly unique" is dead on! I;m not even sure if I like the colour or if I am totally engaged with how unique it is (If that even makes sense?). Hot damn those boots are something else! LOVE them :) Oh my god, to your point of: less unhappy, is the story of my life! :)

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    1. YES, you totally make sense! Like I said, it's so hard to find something unique in this market, especially if you've been around for a while, and when something unique pops up (especially from a company like Essie, imo) it's hard to resist it. And lolol, C didn't believe me when I told him the boots were on clearance. I also told him I wouldn't get anything nor bug him about anything until Black Friday but we'll see how that holds, lol.

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  9. Hi Liesl!! You totally captured me with all that talk about grey infused with red - now I want to have such a signature Liesl polish!!! Ahhh Essie - I clearly have a love-hate relationship with this brand! Sable Collar is a stunner, this is out of the auestion but I just don't get why the heck all those handmixed indies come with a better formula than big Essie.... Ramblings aside, this one certainly is worth any application issues and it looks awesome on you!!! Those booties rock - make me think of Helen Schneider's Rock n' Roll Gipsie!!! <3

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    1. YAY, I think a grey polish with red flash would be gorgeous! And so true about formula issues-- I have even more reservations with the spendiness and size of Julep polishes in light of how fabulous the Sinful Colors cremes have been. There's pretty much no excuse for a major brand to have application issues and the whole thing is that we don't hold them to the same standards. It seems like Essie did listen, though, reports across the board say the formula's improved. Maybe it's just me, lol. And I totally don't know who Helen Scneider is but the comparison sounds highly awesome ♥♥♥

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  10. OMG on both that luscious polish and those adorable shoes. I want them both!

    Also, I just tagged you in the Spooktacular tag...I don't like leaving blog links in comments, so you know where to find me if you want to play. :)

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    1. I'm glad you like :) They look pretty cool together, too, no?

      Spooktacular looks so fun, thank you so much for thinking of me and tagging me! I've already got the format copied and pasted, now I just need to sit and think for a minute, lol.

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  11. What a pretty polish! I have been pretty impressed with Essie's formula the past year. The only ones I had trouble with were the neons that I purchased...they were horrible. I'm glad you took another chance on an Essie! Awesome boots girlie!

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    1. They're having a good year! I'm really excited about one of their new textured polishes -- they're actually listening to their consumers now, it seems. What's that one you really like-- Chinchilly, right? I keep thinking I need to gab that one. And thank youuu, lol, I love my new booties :)

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    2. Yes, I like Chinchilly but you won't be impressed with the formula at all. I would grab L'Oreal Eiffel For You instead:)

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  12. I absolutely love this polish, even if it is Essie, LOL. :) The color is so rich and expensive-looking. Totally coincides with the elegant girl you are. <3

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    1. You just say the sweetest things <3 And did I know you're not an Essie fan? I don't recall. Well, like Christine said, it's hard to justify a lackluster formula from a company who ought to know better when indies are more and more consistently hitting it right on, you know?

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